roll-on/roll-off train ferry

[Mr Belpit]

I was always thinking about to have locomotives/trains can be transport with RoRo Shipping. The idea of a roll-on/roll-off train ferry. Probably there is limitation to transport a vehicle with another in the game, but maybe a a long ferry with train graphics to use it with any kind of cargo from a sea port to another port. What do you think people?

[Kuma Bear]

I sure like the idea, not sure how it would look but, am sure i would like to see. As long as it dose not lose to much in operation. Oh heck who cares about that as long as i looks neat. One vote yes from me.

[ebla71]

I was always thinking about to have locomotives/trains can be transport with RoRo Shipping. The idea of a roll-on/roll-off train ferry. Probably there is limitation to transport a vehicle with another in the game, but maybe a a long ferry with train graphics to use it with any kind of cargo from a sea port to another port. What do you think people?

Well, you could define a cargo "train" or "loco" and then modify a ship NewGRF to transport that cargo and possibly also "recycle" train set graphics for that.

However, what will not work due to the internal game mechanics is a "real" train driving onboard a ship in one port and then getting offloaded in another one, to continue on rails, as vehicles and cargos are strictly separate.

Or - in other words - a vehicle can never be a cargo for another vehicle.

[Redirect Left]

It would actually be pretty cool if you could run coaches (well buses, default graphics have no idea what a coach is) going across water in the hold of a boat or train. I know Eurostar services in England have cars & coaches within the railway carriages and unloaded in La Francais.

Sadly it would probably be a lot of work to add that sort of mechanism into OTTD, both in how a GRF can handle it, and how the game itself can handle it before it even worries about drawing any sprites.

[ebla71]

It would actually be pretty cool if you could run coaches (well buses, default graphics have no idea what a coach is) going across water in the hold of a boat or train. I know Eurostar services in England have cars & coaches within the railway carriages and unloaded in La Francais.

Sadly it would probably be a lot of work to add that sort of mechanism into OTTD, both in how a GRF can handle it, and how the game itself can handle it before it even worries about drawing any sprites.

Well, the best I could imagine would be an "invisible bridge" and the sprites changing depending on whether the vehicle is on land or on water (although that would not allow you to have for example a ferry docked, as it would just disappear when reaching a land tile).

Kind of like the inverse of the "water way road type" which uses a road looking like a canal and "road vehicles" looking like boats: [link]

Instead, make a bridge look like the water underneath and a train or vehicle looking like a ship+loaded railcar or road vehicle.

But a truly functional ferry - possibly will only become available after you can "fund" a locomotive in a depot by delivering steel or engine parts to the depot